Using Biomass to Activate Regional Economy

摘要

There are various circumstances surrounding the utilization of biomass in Japan, as shown in Table 1. These ean be roughly divided into material cycle use such as in compost, livestock bed material, etc., and thermal cycle use such as in direct combustion gasification. The conversion system varies according to the moisture content of these biomusscs. Biochemical conversion is desirable for livestock and food waste such as that which has a moisture content of 80-90% w.b. On the other hand, biomass of 10-20% w.b., such as waste from lumber mills, wood waste from building con- struction, discarded paper, etc.. is more suitable for thermal chemical conversion. Since the moisture content of forest waste in wood waste is 40-60% w.b., there is no advantage in using biochemical conversion in respect of the energy balance in either biochemical conversion or thermal chemical conversion. Fig. 1 shows the typical relation between moisture content and the generated calorific value. As scrap wood discharged from a lumber mill is suitable for thermo chemical processes, the use of direct combustion is becoming more prevalent.